Bad News For Raiders' Bitter AFC West Rival, Not Unexpected Per Our Previous Reporting

The Las Vegas Raiders' AFC West rival Denver Broncos drafted Oregon quarterback Bo Nix No. 12 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Renowned quarterback expert and former Super Bowl-champion Drew Stanton had told us Nix was "undraftable."

May 23, 2024; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during organized team activities at Centura Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

In the 2024 NFL Draft, Las Vegas Raiders' AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos, selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick. A bad first-round selection can set a franchise back, a first-round quarterback even more so. There is no room to miss on a quarterback.

The pick has looked regrettable, as Nix is currently being beaten out by veteran backup Jarrett Stidham, a former Raider.

Reporter Mike Klis of 9News in Denver wrote that to "almost all media observers, Stidham was the best of the three quarterbacks, with Nix also mostly promising, during the offseason practice sessions."

While such news should come as distressing for the Broncos, it is not unfounded. Before the draft, we reported on Nix's evaluation from former Super Bowl-winning quarterback and expert Drew Stanton. Stanton, who now offers his evaluation services to NFL teams looking to draft a signal-caller, called Nix "undraftable."

"He has the capability to look good at times," Stanton told our Hondo Carpenter Sr. "The consistency isn't there though. ... I look at a guy like this, and I'm like, 'this is Stetson Bennett' ... a guy that's sneaky athletic and can make plays and do all of this stuff. ... But then you start looking at the nuances of it, within this offense he was only asked to throw the ball a very short distance and guys would run. That's alarming to me. A lot of [his passes] were at or just behind the line of scrimmage.

"When you've really got to put your hand in the fire and say 'Is this the guy I want to draft?' -- I'm not feeling comfortable in saying that. For a lot of different things."

Out of the 10 quarterbacks Stanton evaluated in the draft, Nix graded out last. Nix received worse marks than late-round quarterbacks Devin Leary, Jordan Travis and Spencer Rattler, and notably, undrafted free agent quarterback Kedon Slovis from BYU. Nix was graded as a "developmental backup" and a "desirable free agent."

Nix's overall NFL upside was a big area of concern for Stanton as a whole.

Missing on a first-round quarterback is detrimental to a franchise, and the Broncos took a gamble on a quarterback that had plenty of red flags. So far, the future has not looked promising for Denver.

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